10 years ago....

[helosailor]

When the first plane hit, I was about 3 miles off the coast of Jacksonville, Fl. on board an Arleigh Burke class destroyer. We were waiting for the rest of the John F. Kennedy battle group to leave port. Within 5 minutes of the second plane hitting, we were ordered to depart and we were making about a 30 foot rooster tail, heading towards the mouth of the Delaware River. We were at General Quarters (a.k.a. battle stations) for the entire transit, anti-air and anti-surface stations all manned and ready. It was absolutely surreal to hear the Captain tell us that we would engage any identified threat without question and without fail, knowing full well that the threat in question would probably have U.S. citizens on board. Thankfully, we never had to do that.

[UserX]

I was at work, of course everyone started talking about it and we huddled around TV's. My office closed early that day and I went home and was glued to the TV in disbelief.

[CRASH]

I was a co-manager at a retail store in the mall. When the first one hit I was getting ready to go to work and the second one hit either when I was on my way to work, or right after I got there.

The mall was only open until about 11am and then they shut it down.

Crazy that it's been 10 years.

-Aaron

[jnobles06]

in school my senior year. we all watched it on tv. then they let us go home early.

[BlueCoupeRedVert]

I was on vacation and asleep. Somebody called us at home and we woke up in time to see the second plane it. We could just not believe this was happening on U.S. soil!

[ram57ta]

I was sleeping when I got a frantic phone call from a friend who was screaming "turn on the TV on any station..the US is under attack". I got the TV on just in time to see plane #2 hit. That was a shitty day.

[Jasonone]

I was on a working party on the USS Harry S. Truman. I'd taken a break with a buddy to smoke a cig. Heard another guy on the smoke deck talking about somebody just bombed the world trade center in new york. Went back and watched it on TV. When I saw the second plane hit I knew I was going to war.

[AdRock]

I had been laid off from work the week before so I was at home (San Antonio). A phone call woke me up. It was my grandmother asking me if I was ok. Kid of annoyed I say "Yeah, I'm fine, why?" She said " We were attacked" and she was worried about me.

I told her that I was fine. Then I turned on the TV and just sat there enthralled. I was watching a live report when the 2nd plane hit in the background. I was glued to the TV the entire day and almost all night.

[2165 Turbo Rail]

I was working nights and had just gotten off work when the first plane hit. I stopped by a buddies house to watch the news on tv about it and saw the 2nd plane hit. We kept watching and then they said a plane or something had blown up at the Pent. My child hood best friend was in the Navy and worked at the Pent. I called his wife at home and I could tell she didn't know what was going on. She and the kids were watching catoons on VHS. I told her about the towers and then as soon as I said the pentagon had been hit, my friends mom called the wife. She clicked back over FREAKING out. I hung up with her and drove to my friends parents house in Irving to be with them and about 15 other people showed up. we watched for a while and then my boss called and said he needed everyone available to come back to the office to take the phones for all of our offices (I was doing after hours on call back then) so I went back to the office and we took the phone calls for all of our offices so they could get out of their buildings.
about 3 hours later my friend called my company and he was transferred to my line and said "Hey bitch I hear you are looking for me?" he then told me that he was busy saving people's lives and was just getting a break and was able to get cell services to call out.

He ended up getting the Service Member of the Year Award from the USO.

Here is his story
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=3503

[Cobraman]

I was in first grade. All I remember is the teacher turning the tv on and seeing the 2nd plane hit as it happened, and also going home early.

[JP135]

I was on my days off. Took my year and a half old daughter to Temple Christian and dropped her off at daycare. The lady at the desk, Mrs. McCollugh, told me that an airplane had crashed into the WTC. Having worked the 191 and 1163 crashes at DFW, I thought 'oh man, this is bad'. I turned on the radio just in time to hear the second jet hit tower one. 'Oh damn, this isn't a plane crash; we're under attack'. I picked up my daughter, took her home and loaded every magazine and every rifle. My wife was teaching in Arlington at the time - she went and got an item from the glovebox of her car in case something crazy happened at school, then came home early that afternoon. We were all put on alert by the PD - everyone was to check in and be ready to report for duty immediately if called.

In the late morning I went into the backyard with the video camera and made a tape for our little girl. I told her I didn't know what was happening or how far it would go, but later in life, she could look at this tape and remember that today was the day the world as we knew it had changed.

[2165 Turbo Rail]

In the late morning I went into the backyard with the video camera and made a tape for our little girl. I told her I didn't know what was happening or how far it would go, but later in life, she could look at this tape and remember that today was the day the world as we knew it had changed.

Sad but very true

[Foxy90GT]

i was in the 7th grade, hadn't gone to school that day. my mom woke me up and told me what was happening, i got up in time to see the second plane hit on the news. called my dad to see where he was and to check if he was ok since he travels a lot and i couldn't remember where he was supposed to be that day. it was a really numb feeling watching the news the rest of the day

[GrayStangGT]

Junior in high school and I was at school.

[slow99]

At work. Stock markets closed and a bunch of coworkers went back to my apartment and watched tv all day/night. The chilling thing I remember is that the weather was perfect/peaceful/gorgeous that day. It was almost surreal to be outside and know the absolute chaos that had just happened. I'll never forget it.